Bicycle pedal assembly

ABSTRACT

A bicycle pedal assembly includes a pair of pedals and a pair of cleats. The cleats are configured and arranged to selectively cooperate with the right and left bicycle pedals such that two different release forces can be attained using a single pair of cleats. The pedal includes a body that rotates about a shaft and a front and rear clamping members are coupled to opposite ends of the pedal body. Also, the front and rear clamping members are preferably pivotally coupled to the pedal body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/712,256, filed on Nov. 14, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No.7,013,755. The entire disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/712,256 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a bicycle pedal assembly. Morespecifically, the present invention relates clipless or step-in bicyclepedal assembly, which has cleats that are releasably coupled to a pairof bicycle pedals.

2. Background Information

Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation aswell as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a verypopular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whetherthe bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, thebicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of thebicycle as well as the frame of the bicycle. One component that has beenextensively redesigned is the bicycle pedal.

In recent years, bicycle pedals have been designed for specific purposessuch as for pleasure, off road biking, road racing, etc. One particulartype of bicycle pedal, which is gaining more popularity, is the step-inor clipless pedal, which releasably engages a cleat secured to the soleof a cyclist's shoe. The clipless pedal has a pedal spindle that can bemounted on the crank of a bicycle, a pedal body that is rotatablysupported on this pedal spindle, and a cleat engagement mechanism. In anoff road bicycle pedal a cleat engagement mechanism is formed on bothsides of the pedal body for engaging a cleat. A road-racing pedal, onthe other hand, typically only has a cleat engagement mechanism on oneside of the pedal body. In either case, in these types of bicyclepedals, the rider steps onto the pedal and the cleat engagementmechanism automatically grips on to the cleat secured to the bottom ofthe cyclist's shoe.

With this type of step-in or clipless pedal, the shoe and the pedal arein a state of constant engagement when the cleat is engaged in the cleatclamping members, so the pedaling force can be transmitted efficientlyto the pedals. As a result, step-in or clipless pedals are widelyemployed on racing bicycles used in road racing and mountain bikeracing.

When attaching the cyclist's shoe to the step-in or clipless pedal viathe cleat, the cyclist moves the shoe obliquely downwardly and forwardlyrelative to the pedal body such that the front end of the cleat engagesa front hook or clamping member of the pedal body. Once the front end ofthe cleat is engaged with the front hook of the pedal body, the cyclistplaces the rear end of the cleat in contact with a guide portion of therear hook or clamping member of the pedal body. In this position, thecyclist presses the shoe downwardly against the pedal to cause the rearhook or clamping member to initially pivot rearwardly against the forceof a spring to move the rear hook or clamping member to a cleatreleasing position. The rear end of the cleat then enters a positionopposite a back face of the rear hook or clamping member. Then, the rearhook or clamping member returns under the force of a biasing member orspring so that the rear hook or clamping member engages the rear end ofthe cleat. This engagement fixes the cyclist's shoe to the pedal via thecleat.

When releasing the shoe from the pedal, the cyclist will typically turnthe shoe about an axis perpendicular or approximately perpendicular tothe tread of the pedal, using the front end of the cleat as a pivotingpoint. As a result of this pivoting action, the rear hook or clampingmember is pivoted rearwardly against the force of the spring to a cleatreleasing position to release the shoe. It is important that the cleatdoes not inadvertently release the pedal during normal pedaling. Some ofthese prior step-in or clipless pedals can inadvertently release thecleat during normal pedaling if the spring force on the rear clampingmember is set too low. However, if the spring force on the rear clampingmember is set too high, the cleat may not release from the pedalproperly. This could result in the rider's shoe not properly releasingfrom the pedal at the desired application of force because the rider'sshoe either releases too easily from the pedal or does not release atthe proper time. Thus, some of these step-in or clipless pedals and thecleats for these pedals are designed with adjustment mechanisms tochange the release force required for the rider to disengage the cleatfrom the pedal. However, these adjustment mechanisms increase theoverall cost of the pedals. In particular, these adjustment mechanismscan be complicated and expensive to manufacture and assemble.

In view of the above, there exists a need for an improved bicycle pedalassembly that takes into account at least some of the above mentionedproblems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in theprior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art from this disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle pedalassembly that is configured and arranged such that the release force canbe adjusted without an adjustment mechanism for the clamping members.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a step-in bicyclepedal assembly that is relatively lightweight and malfunction free.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a step-inbicycle pedal assembly that is relatively simple and inexpensive tomanufacture.

The foregoing objects can basically be achieved by providing a bicyclepedal assembly comprising a bicycle pedal and a pair of bicycle cleat.The bicycle pedal basically comprises a pedal shaft, a pedal body, afront clamping member and a rear clamping member. The pedal shaft has acenter rotational axis. The pedal body is rotatably coupled to the pedalshaft about the center rotational axis of the pedal shaft. The pedalbody has a first end and a second end with a center plane extendingbetween the first and second ends and passing through the centerrotational axis of the pedal shaft. The front clamping member is coupledto the first end of the pedal body. The front clamping member has afront cleat engagement surface facing towards the center plane of thepedal body. The rear clamping member is coupled to the second end of thepedal body. The rear clamping member has a rear cleat engagement surfacefacing towards the center plane of the pedal body. The first bicycleshoe cleat includes first front and rear attachment portions configuredand arranged to cooperate with the front and rear clamping members torelease the first bicycle shoe cleat from a cleat engaged position to acleat released position upon application of a first predetermined amountof outward twisting force. The second bicycle shoe cleat includes secondfront and rear attachment portions configured and arranged to cooperatewith the front and rear clamping members to release the second bicycleshoe cleat from the cleat engaged position to the cleat releasedposition upon application of a second predetermined amount of outwardtwisting force that is higher than the first predetermined amount ofoutward twisting force.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bicycle that is equipped with apair of bicycle pedals in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a pair of bicycle pedal assemblies in afirst arrangement with the cleats being arranged to produce a low cleatrelease force in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the pair of bicycle pedal assembliesillustrated in FIG. 2 with the cleats being rotated by a firstpredetermined outward twisting force;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the pair of bicycle pedal assemblies in asecond arrangement with the cleats being arranged to produce a highcleat release force in accordance with the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the pair of bicycle pedal assembliesillustrated in FIG. 4 with the cleats being rotated by a secondpredetermined outward twisting force;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the right bicycle pedal illustratedin FIGS. 2-5, with the rear clamping member of the right bicycle pedalpivoted to a release position that corresponds to with the cleat beingrotate relative to the right bicycle pedal by application of the firstor second predetermined outward twisting force;

FIG. 7 is an inside side elevational view of the right bicycle pedalillustrated in FIGS. 2-6, without a cleat coupled thereto;

FIG. 8 is an outside elevational view of the right bicycle pedalillustrated in FIGS. 2-7, without the cleat coupled thereto;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the right bicycle pedal illustrated inFIGS. 2-8, without a cleat coupled thereto;

FIG. 10 is a rear end elevational view of the right bicycle pedalillustrated in FIGS. 2-9, without the cleat coupled thereto;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bicycle pedalassembly illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, as seen along section line 11-11of FIG. 10, without the cleat coupled thereto;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the right bicycle pedal body for the rightbicycle pedal illustrated in FIGS. 3-11;

FIG. 13 is an inside elevational view of the right bicycle pedal bodyillustrated in FIG. 12 for the right bicycle pedal illustrated in FIGS.3-11;

FIG. 14 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the right bicycle pedalbody illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 for the bicycle pedal illustrated inFIGS. 3-11 as seen along section line 14-14 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a side perspective view of one of the pivot pins forpivotally coupling one of the clamping members to the bicycle pedalbodies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of one of the biasing members (a pair oftorsion springs) for urging one pair of the clamping members of thebicycle pedal assemblies to the rest or cleat engaging positions;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view first side elevational view of one of thepedal body covers for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS.2-5;

FIG. 18 is a side elevational view of the pedal body cover illustratedFIG. 17 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the front clamping member for thebicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the front clamping member illustrated inFIG. 19 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 21 is a rear end elevational view of the front clamping memberillustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 for the bicycle pedal assembliesillustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the front clamping memberillustrated in FIGS. 19-21 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustratedin FIGS. 2-5, as seen along section line 22-22 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is an oblique view of the front clamping member illustrated inFIGS. 19-22 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 24 is a side elevational view of the front clamping member for thebicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the front clamping member illustrated inFIG. 24 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 26 is a rear end elevational view of the front clamping memberillustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25 for the bicycle pedal assembliesillustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the front clamping memberillustrated in FIGS. 24-26 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustratedin FIGS. 3-11, as seen along section line 27-27 of FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 is an oblique view of the front clamping member illustrated inFIGS. 24-27 for the bicycle pedal assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 29 is a front end elevational view of the first cleat for use withboth the right bicycle pedal and the left bicycle pedal illustrated inFIGS. 2-5

FIG. 30 is a side elevational view of the first cleat illustrated inFIG. 29 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the left bicyclepedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 31 is a rear end elevational view of the first cleat illustrated inFIGS. 29 and 30 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the leftbicycle pedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 32 is a bottom plan view of the first cleat illustrated in FIGS.29-31 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the left bicyclepedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 33 is a top plan view of the first cleat illustrated in FIGS. 29-32for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the left bicycle pedalillustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 34 is a front end elevational view of the second cleat for use withboth the right bicycle pedal and the left bicycle pedal illustrated inFIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 35 is a side elevational view of the second cleat illustrated inFIG. 29 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the left bicyclepedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 36 is a rear end elevational view of the second cleat illustratedin FIGS. 34 and 35 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and theleft bicycle pedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 37 is a bottom plan view of the second cleat illustrated in FIGS.34-36 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the left bicyclepedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 38 is a top plan view of the second cleat illustrated in FIGS.34-37 for use with both the right bicycle pedal and the left bicyclepedal illustrated in FIGS. 2-5;

FIG. 39 is a side elevational view of a left bicycle shoe with one ofthe cleats of the present invention coupled thereto, prior to couplingof the cleat to the left bicycle pedal;

FIG. 40 is a side elevational view of a left bicycle shoe with one ofthe cleats of the present invention coupled thereto, prior to couplingof the cleat to the left bicycle pedal;

FIG. 41 is a side elevational view of a left bicycle shoe with one ofthe cleats of the present invention coupled thereto, prior to couplingof the cleat to the left bicycle pedal; and

FIG. 42 is a side elevational view of a left bicycle shoe with one ofthe cleats of the present invention coupled thereto, prior to couplingof the cleat to the left bicycle pedal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart from this disclosure that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration onlyand not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a bicycle 10 is illustrated that isequipped with a left bicycle pedal 12 a and a right bicycle pedal 12 bin accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. Thebicycle the pedals 12 a and 12 b are fixedly coupled to a pair ofbicycle crank arms 14 a and 14 b of a bicycle 10 for rotation therewith.

As seen in FIGS. 2-5, the left and right bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 bselectively engage a pair of cleats A and B. Thus, the left and rightbicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b and the cleats A and B form a bicycle pedalassembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.The first and second bicycle shoe cleats A and B are preferably fixedlycoupled to a pair of bicycle shoes in a conventional manner (e.g., usinga pair of screws for each cleat) to releasably couple the cyclist's feetto the bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b areespecially designed for use with off-road bicycles as opposed to usewith a road bicycle. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from this disclosure that the features of the bicycle pedals 12a and 12 b can be used in the construction of a road type of bicyclepedal if needed and/or desired. In other words, it will be apparent thatthe bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b can be designed such that the first andsecond bicycle shoe cleats A and B can only be coupled to one side ofthe bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b.

Specifically, the cleats A and B are engaged with the bicycle pedals 12a and 12 b by pressing the cleats A and B into the pedals 12 a and 12 bwith a forward and downward motion. This releasably locks the cleats Aand B to the pedals 12 a and 12 b. The cleats A and B can be releasedfrom the pedals 12 a and 12 b by twisting the heel of the shoe to theoutside of pedals 12 a and 12 b as discussed below in more detail.

The first and second bicycle shoe cleats A and B are configured andarranged to selectively cooperate with the bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 bsuch that two different release forces can be attained using a singlepair of cleats A and B. In particular, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3,the first and second bicycle shoe cleats A and B are configured andarranged to release upon application of a first predetermined amount ofoutward twisting force F1 when the first bicycle shoe cleat A is engagedwith the left bicycle pedal 12 a and the second bicycle shoe cleat B isengaged with the right bicycle pedal 12 b.

However, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first and second bicycleshoe cleats A and B are configured and arranged to release uponapplication of a second predetermined amount of outward twisting forceF2 that is higher than the first predetermined amount of outwardtwisting force F1 when the first bicycle shoe cleat A is engaged withthe right bicycle pedal 12 b and the second bicycle shoe cleat B isengaged with the left bicycle pedal 12 a.

As seen in FIGS. 2-5, the left bicycle pedal 12 a is a mirror image ofthe right bicycle pedal 12 b. It will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from this disclosure that the description of the left bicyclepedal 12 a also applies to the right bicycle pedal 12 b and vice aversa. Thus, the same reference numerals will be used to describe boththe left and right pedals 12 a and 12 b. Moreover, the left bicyclepedal 12 a will not be discussed or illustrated in further detail hereinfor the sake of brevity.

The left and the right bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b basically eachincludes a pedal shaft or spindle 21, a pedal body 22, a pair of front(first) clamping members 23 pivotally coupled to the pedal body 22 by apair of pivot pins 24, a pair of rear (second) clamping members 25, apair of spring holders 26 and a pair of biasing members 28. Also, thepedal body 22 preferably includes two pairs of pedal body covers 30 thatoverlie a center upper portion of the pedal body 22 to protect the pedalbody 22 from scratches. The pedals 12 a and 12 b have an overall lengthX and an overall height Y as seen in FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pedal spindles 21 are fastened to the crank arms14 a and 14 b of the bicycle 10, with the pedal bodies 22 beingrotatably coupled to the pedal spindle 21 for supporting the rider'sfeet. Specifically, the cleats A and B are fixedly attached to thebicycle shoes, which in turn are releasably attached to the pedal bodies22 via one of the pairs of the front and rear clamping members 23 and25.

The pedal spindle 21 is a multi-step spindle having numerous steppedportions. The pedal spindle 21 has a first end 31 with threads formedthereon for threadedly coupling bicycle pedal to the crank arm 14 a or14 b in a conventional manner. The other end of the pedal spindle 21rotatably supports the pedal body 22 in a conventional manner. The pedalbody 22 can freely rotate about the center rotational axis R of thepedal spindle 21. Since the pedal spindle 21 is relatively conventionaland its specific construction is not critical to the present invention,the construction of the pedal spindle 21 will not be discussed in detailherein.

As shown in FIGS. 12-14, the pedal body 22 is an H-shaped member (seeFIG. 12) that basically includes a center tubular portion 41, an innerside mounting portion 42 and an outer side mounting portion 43. Thepedal body 22 is a rigid member that is preferably made as a one-piece,unitary member from a lightweight material such as an aluminum alloy. Asbest seen in FIGS. 9-11, the pedal body 22 is rotatably coupled to thepedal spindle 21 for rotation about a center rotational axis R of thepedal spindle 21.

In particular, the center tubular portion 41 has a stepped bore 44 (seeFIG. 14) for receiving the pedal spindle 21 for rotation about thecenter rotational axis R. The side mounting portions 42 and 43 areconfigured and arranged to pivotal support the clamping members 23 and25 via the pivot pins 24. The inner side mounting portion 42 extends ina forward and backward direction from an inner end of the center tubularportion 41. The side mounting portions 42 and 43 are provided with apair of cover receiving recesses 45 on each of the sides of the pedalbody 22. The cover receiving recesses 45 are configured and arranged toreceive the pedal body covers 30, respectively.

The inner side mounting portion 42 has a pair of threaded holes or bores46 that threadedly receive the pivot pins 24 therein. The outer sidemounting portion 43 extends in a forward and backward direction from anouter end of the center tubular portion 41. The outer side mountingportion 43 has a pair of blind bores 47 that receives the free ends ofthe pivot pins 24 therein. The unthreaded blind bores 47 are axiallyaligned with the threaded bores 46 for receiving the outer end of thepivot pins 24. The bores 46 and 47 are configured to secure the pivotpins 24 therein in an aesthetic and reliable manner. Thus, a smoothouter surface of the pedal body 22 can be formed. In other words, thethreaded bores 46 aids in providing an attractive appearance, since theheads of the pivot pins 24 are not visible from the outside of the pedalbody 22. One of the front clamping members 23 is pivotally mounted ateach end of the pedal body 22 by one of the pivot pins 24. Likewise, oneof the rear clamping members 25 is pivotally mounted at each end of thepedal body 22 by one of the pivot pins 24.

The pedal body 22 has a center longitudinal line CL extending betweenthe front and the rear ends as seen in FIG. 10. The center longitudinalline CL of the pedal body 22 extends substantially perpendicular to thecenter rotational axis R of the pedal spindle 21 and bisects theclamping members 23 and 25. The pedal body 22 also has a center plane P1 extending between the first and second ends of the pedal body 22 withthe center plane P1 passing through the center rotational axis R of thepedal spindle 21 and the centers of bores 46 and 47 as seen in FIGS. 11and 13. The center plane P1 divides the pedal body 22 into first andsecond cleat engagement sides. A cleat receiving area is formed on eachside of pedal body 22 for receiving and supporting the cleats A and Bthereon. More specifically, the cleat receiving area is defined the areaextending longitudinally between the clamping members 23 and 25 on eachside of the pedal body 22. Thus, the cleats A and B are designed toreleasably couple a sole of a shoe to the bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 bby a pair of the front and rear clamping members 23 and 25 that locatedon the same side of the pedal body 22 relative to the center plane P1.

Each biasing member 28 is preferably formed by a pair of torsionsprings. The torsion springs of the biasing members 28 have their coiledportions 50 mounted on the pivot pins 24, with one end 51 of each springengaging a part of one of the front clamping members 23, and the otherend 52 of each spring engaging a part of one of the rear clampingmembers 25. The biasing members 28 normally urge clamping members 23 and25 to rotate about their respective pivot pins 24 from their cleatreleasing positions to their cleat engaging or clamping positions. Inother words, the biasing members 28 normally maintain the clampingmembers 23 and 25 in their cleat engaging positions. The release forcesof the biasing members 28 of the clamping members 23 and 25 arecontrolled by switching which of the cleats A and B are used with whichof the pedals 12 a and 12 b.

Referring back to FIGS. 2-5, the clamping members 23 and 25 selectivelyengage one of the cleats A and B. The clamping members 23 and 25 arepivotally coupled to the ends of the pedal body 22 by the pivot pins 24.As seen in FIG. 10, the clamping members 23 and 25 are curved in aroughly U-shaped configuration when view along the center longitudinalline CL of the pedal body 22, with their two free ends being swingablysupported by the pivot pins 24 that pass between the inner and outerside mounting portions 42 and 43 of the pedal body 22.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-23, each of the front clamping members 23includes a connecting portion 60 with a pair of legs 61 extendingdownwardly from connecting portion 60 for coupling the front clampingmember 23 to the pedal body 22 via one of the pivot pins 24. Morespecifically, each of the legs 61 of the front clamping members 23 has amounting hole 63 formed therein for receiving one of the pivot pins 24.Accordingly, each of the front clamping members 23 is pivotally mountedabout its respective pivot pin 24 for movement between a cleat clampingor engaging position and a cleat releasing position.

Each of the connecting portions 60 of the front clamping members 23 hasa front cleat engagement portion or surface 64 and a front cleat stopportion or surface 65. The front cleat engagement surface 64 facesgenerally towards the center plane P1 of the pedal body 22, while thefront cleat stop surface 65 is spaced forwardly from the centerrotational axis R of the pedal spindle 21 by a first predetermineddistance d1 measured parallel to the front cleat engagement surface 64as seen in FIGS. 8 and 11. The front cleat engagement surface 64 of eachfront clamping member 23 is configured and arranged to engage a frontportion of the cleats A and B to limit movement of the cleats A an Baway from the pedal body. The front cleat stop surface 65 of each frontclamping member 23 is configured and arranged to engage a front portionof the cleats A and B to limit forward movement of the cleats A and B.The front cleat engagement surface 64 is a flat planar surface. Thefront cleat stop surface 65 is a flat planar surface that extendssubstantially perpendicular to the front cleat engagement surface 64.

Each of the legs 61 of the front clamping members 23 also has a firststop portion or flange 66 and a second stop portion or flange 67. Thefirst stop portions 66 of each of the front clamping members 23 areconfigured and arranged to engage the pedal body 22 to limit rotationalmovement of the front clamping member 23 in a first rotational directionabout the respective one of the pivot pins 24. The second stop portions67 of each of the front clamping members 23 are configured and arrangedto engage the pedal body 22 to limit rotational movement of the frontclamping member 23 in a second rotational direction about the respectiveone of the pivot pins 24. More specifically, the first stop portions 66of each of the front clamping members 23 are normally biased against thepedal body 22 by the respective one of the biasing members 28. Thesecond stop portions 67 of each of the front clamping members 23 arenormally spaced from pedal body 22 by a predetermined amount. Thus, asseen in FIG. 6, the front clamping members 23 can pivot about the pivotpins 24 against the urging forces of the biasing members 28 such thatthe front clamping members 23 can pivot in a generally forward directionby a first predetermined rotational distance or amount θ1. Preferably,the front clamping members 23 can pivot in a generally forward directionby approximately three degrees to about five degrees as measured aboutthe center axis of the respective one of the pivot pins 24.

Referring now to FIGS. 24-28, each of the rear clamping members 25includes a connecting portion 70 with a pair of legs 71 extendingdownwardly from connecting portion 70 for coupling the rear clampingmember 25 to the pedal body 22 via one of the pivot pins 24. Morespecifically, each of the legs 71 of the rear clamping members 25 has amounting hole 73 formed therein for receiving one of the pivot pins 24.Accordingly, each of the rear clamping members 25 is pivotally mountedabout its respective pivot pin 24 for movement between a cleat clampingor engaging position and a cleat releasing position.

Each of the connecting portions 70 of the rear clamping members 25 has arear cleat engagement portion or surface 74 and a rear cleat stopportion or surface 75. The rear cleat engagement surface 74 facesgenerally towards the center plane P1 of the pedal body 22. The rearcleat stop surface 75 is spaced rearwardly from the center rotationalaxis R of the pedal spindle 21 by a second predetermined distance d2measured parallel to the rear cleat engagement surface 74 as seen inFIGS. 8 and 11. The rear cleat engagement surface 74 of each rearclamping member 25 is configured and arranged to engage a rear portionof the cleats A and B to limit movement of the cleats A an B away fromthe pedal body. The rear cleat stop surface 75 of each rear clampingmember 25 is configured and arranged to engage a rear portion of thecleats A and B to limit rearward movement of the cleats A and B. Therear cleat engagement surface 75 is a flat planar surface. The rearcleat stop surface 75 is a flat planar surface that extendssubstantially perpendicular to the rear cleat engagement surface 74.

Each of the legs 71 of the rear clamping members 25 also has a stopsurface 76 that is configured and arranged to engage the pedal body 22to limit rotational movement of the rear clamping member 25 in a firstrotational direction about the respective one of the pivot pins 24,i.e., hold the rear clamping member 25 in rest or cleat engagingposition. More specifically, the stop surfaces 76 of each of the rearclamping members 25 are normally biased against the pedal body 22 by therespective one of the biasing members 28. Thus, the rear clampingmembers 25 can pivot about the pivot pins 24 against the urging forcesof the biasing members 28 such that the rear clamping members 25 canpivot in a generally rearward direction by a predetermined rotationaldistance or amount θ2, as seen in FIG. 6. Preferably, the predeterminedrotational distance θ2 is about thirteen degrees, when the pedal andcleat are arranged to require the first predetermined outward twistingforce F1 and about fourteen degrees, when the pedal and cleat arearranged to require the second predetermined outward twisting force F2.Preferably, the rear clamping members 25 can pivot in a generallyrearward direction by at least fourteen degrees as measured about thecenter axis of the respective one of the pivot pins 24.

As seen in FIG. 11, first and second cleat engagement surfaces 64 and 74preferably lie in substantially the same plane, which forms an acuteangle with the center plane P1. Thus, the first and second cleatengagement surfaces 64 and 74 hold the cleat A or B from movingvertically from the pedal body 22. Preferably, the first cleatengagement surface 64 is spaced from the pivot axis of the pivot pin 24by a predetermined distance L1, while the second cleat engagementsurface 74 is spaced from the pivot axis of the pivot pin 24 by apredetermined distance L2 that is larger than the predetermined distanceL1. The first and second cleat stop surfaces 65 and 75 hold the cleat Aor B from moving in a front to rearward direction of the pedal body 22.Preferably, the first and second cleat stop surfaces 65 and 75 arespaced apart by a predetermined distance S1. Moreover, the second cleatstop surface 75 is spaced (offset) from the center rotational axis R ofthe pedal spindle 21 by the predetermined distance d2, while the firstcleat stop surface 65 is spaced (offset) from the center rotational axisR of the pedal spindle 21 by the predetermined distance d1 that islarger than the predetermined distance d2. The dimensions d1 and d2 aremeasured along a plane that extends perpendicular to the first andsecond cleat stop surfaces 65 and 75. Since dimension d1 is greater thanthe dimension d2, the step-in torque is approximately 17% greater thanif the dimensions d1 and d2 were equal.

As seen in FIGS. 24-28, the rear clamping members 25 are provided with agenerally horizontal portion 77 and a generally vertical portion 78. Theportions 77 and 78 form an elongated tongue having an L-shape as viewedfrom the side. This elongated tongue assists the rider in rotating thereal body 22 to horizontal position for engagement as seen in FIGS. 39and 40. As seen in FIG. 11, the generally horizontal portion 77 extendsin a substantially rearward direction past the end of the pedal body 22by a predetermined distance S2 that is at least substantially equal toor greater than the predetermined distance S1. The generally horizontalportion 77 of the rear clamping members 25 is provided with an opening79 for receiving the spring holder 26 to couple the second ends 52 ofthe torsion springs that form the biasing member 28 to the rear clampingmember 25.

Referring now to FIGS. 17 and 18, each of the pedal body covers 30basically includes a protective body portion 90, a first attachment leg91 and a second attachment leg 92. The first and second attachment legs91 and 92 have attachment holes 93 and 94, respectively, for receivingthe pivot pins 24 therethrough. Thus, the pedal body covers 30 arefixedly coupled to the pedal body 22 by the pivot pins 24. Each of thepedal body covers 30 is a rigid member that is preferably made as aone-piece, unitary member from a material that is harder than thematerial of the pedal body 22 such as stainless steel. There are four ofthe pedal body covers 30 with two of the pedal body covers 30 mounted oneach side of the pedal body 22 in the cover receiving recesses 45. Inparticular, the pedal body covers 30 are located at the ends of thecenter tubular portion 41 in the area where the cleat A or B will rubagainst the pedal body 22 if the pedal body covers 30 were removed.

Referring now to FIGS. 29-38, the cleats A and B are basically mirrorimages of each other. It will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom this disclosure that the descriptions of the portions of the cleatA (FIGS. 29-33) also to applies to the corresponding portions of thecleat B (FIGS. 34-38) and vice a versa. Thus, the same referencenumerals will be used to describe both the portions of the cleat A andthe corresponding portions of the cleat B for the sake of brevity.

Basically, each of the cleats A and B includes an attachment portion100, a first or front coupling portion or member 101 extending from oneend of the attachment portion 100 and a second or rear coupling portionor member 102 extending from the other end of the attachment portion100. The front coupling portion or member 101 has a pair of lateralfront corner abutments C_(F1) and C_(F2), while the rear couplingportion or member 102 has a pair of lateral rear corner abutments C_(R1)and C_(R2). The front corner abutments C_(F1) and C_(F2) selectivelycontact the front clamping member 23 when the cleat is pivoted about itspivot axis P of the cleat A or B, while the rear corner abutments C_(R1)and C_(R2) selectively contact the rear clamping member 25 when thecleat is pivoted about its pivot axis P of the cleat A or B. The pivotaxis P is located at the intersection of a first line that extendsbetween the front and rear corner abutments C_(F1) and C_(R1) and asecond line that extends between the front and rear corner abutmentsC_(F2) and C_(R2) as seen in FIGS. 33 and 38. The pivot axis P also lieson a center line CL of the cleat A or B. As seen in FIGS. 32 and 37, thefront and rear corner abutments C_(F1) and C_(R1) are spaced laterallyfrom the center line CL of the cleat A or B by a first lateral distanceDL₁, while the front and rear corner abutments C_(F2) and C_(R2) arespaced laterally from the center line CL of the cleat A or B by a secondlateral distance DL₂ that is larger than the first lateral distance DL₁.This arrangement at least partially results in the low outward twistingforce F1 and the high outward twisting force F2 for release the cleat Aor B depending on which of the cleats A and B are used with which of thepedals 12 a and 12 b.

The attachment portion 100 has an upper sole side 103 facing in a firstdirection for engaging the sole of the shoe and a lower pedal sidefacing 104 in a second direction which is substantially opposite to thefirst direction. Preferably the attachment portion 100 and the couplingportions 101 and 102 are integrally formed together as a one-piece,unitary member, which is constructed from a suitable rigid material.

The attachment portion 100 has a pair of hole or slot 105 for receivingone or more fasteners for fixedly coupling to the sole of the cyclist'sshoe in a relatively conventional manner. The interconnection of thecleat A to the sole is relatively well known in the art, and thus, thisinterconnection will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein.

The front coupling portion 101 is designed to engage the front clampingmember 23. The front coupling portion 101 has a nose portion or flange106 with a first or front coupling surface 106 a, a center front stopsurface 107 and a pair of lateral front stop surfaces 108. The frontcoupling surface 106 a faces towards the sole of the shoe, while thefront stop surfaces 107 and 108 extend substantially perpendicular tothe front coupling surface 106 a. The center front stop surface 107 isdesigned to engage the front stop surface 65 of the front clampingmember 23 to prevent forward movement of the cleats relative to thepedal body 22.

The center front stop surfaces 107 is arranged to extend perpendicularto a center line CL of the cleat A or B that divides the front couplingsurface 106 a into two equal side portions. The lateral front stopsurfaces 108 are angled relative to the center front stop surfaces 107so that they are inclined rearwardly as they extend outwardly from thecenter front stop surfaces 107. Preferably, the lateral front stopsurfaces 108 are angled about five degrees relative to the center frontstop surfaces 107. The lateral front stop surfaces 108 are designed toengage the front stop surface 65 of the front clamping member 23 whenthe cleat is pivoted about its pivot axis P of the cleat A or B. Thelateral front stop surfaces 108 form the front lateral corner abutmentsC_(F1) and C_(F2) that are spaced from the center line CL of the cleat Aor B. The front lateral corner abutment C_(F1) is spaced a shorterdistance from the center line CL of the cleat A or B than the frontlateral corner abutment C_(R1) from the center line CL of the cleat A orB. Thus, the rear lateral corner abutment C_(R1) forms a low force rearcorner abutment, while the rear lateral corner abutment C_(R2) forms ahigh force rear corner abutment.

The second or rear coupling portion 102 extends from the second end ofthe attachment portion 100. The rear coupling portion 102 is designed toengage the rear clamping member 25. The rear coupling portion 102 has anose portion or rear flange 109 and a center rear stop surface 110 and apair of lateral rear stop surfaces 111. The nose portion or rear flange109 includes a second or rear coupling surface 109 a and a rear edge 109b extending perpendicularly relative to the rear coupling surface 109 a.The rear edge 109 b includes corners C_(RR1) and C_(RR2) that define therelease points of the rear flange 109. In other words, when the cleat Aor B is pivoted about its pivot axis P of the cleat A or B, the rearflange 109 will be twisted outwardly from underneath the rear clampingmember 25. The cleat A or B will release from the rear clamping member25 when one of the corners C_(RR1) and C_(RR2) of the rear flange 109aligns with the rear stop surface 75 of the rear clamping member 25. Inother words, when one of the corners C_(RR1) and C_(RR2) of the rearflange 109 can be seen from above, the rear flange of the cleat A or Breleases from the rear stop surface 75 of the rear clamping member 25.The corner C_(RR1) is located on the same side of the center line CL asthe rear lateral corner abutment C_(R1), while the corner C_(RR2) islocated on the same side of the center line CL as the rear lateralcorner abutment C_(R2). The rear flange 109 is shifted from the centerline CL towards the rear lateral corner abutment C_(R2) by an OFFSETdistance to control the release angle. Thus, the corners C_(RR1) andC_(RR2) of the rear flange 109 are symmetrically arranged about theOFFSET axis that is parallel to the center line CL. Preferably, in thepreferred embodiment, the OFFSET distance is about 0.65 mm from thecenter line CL of the cleat A or B towards the rear lateral cornerabutment C_(R2). Preferably, this OFFSET distance is dimensionedtogether with the corners C_(RR1) and C_(RR2) of the rear flange 109 andthe rear lateral corner abutments C_(R1) and C_(R2) such that therelease angle (e.g., 15°) is substantially identical for each of thecleats A and B whether used with the left pedal 12 a or the right pedal12 b.

The rear coupling surface 109 a faces towards the sole of the shoe,while the rear stop surfaces 110 and 111 extend substantiallyperpendicular to the rear coupling surface 110. The rear stop surfaces110 and 111 are designed to engage the stop surface 75 of the rearclamping member 25 to prevent rearward movement of the cleat A or Brelative to the pedal body 22. Preferably, the coupling surfaces 106 aand 109 a are formed so as to lie in substantially the same plane.

The lateral rear stop surfaces 111 are angled relative to the centerrear stop surface 110 so that they are inclined forwardly as they extendoutwardly from the center rear stop surface 110. Preferably, the lateralrear stop surfaces 111 are angled about five degrees relative to thecenter rear stop surface 110. The lateral rear stop surfaces 111 aredesigned to engage the rear stop surface 75 of the rear clamping member25 when the cleat A or B is pivoted about its pivot axis P of the cleatA or B.

The rear stop surfaces 110 and 111 are symmetrically arranged about anOFFSET that is spaced by 0.65 mm to one side of the cleat A or B fromthe center line CL of the cleat A or B. The lateral rear stop surfaces111 form the rear lateral corner abutments C_(R1) and C_(R2) that arespaced from the center line CL of the cleat A or B. The rear lateralcorner abutments C_(R1) and C_(R2) form effective lever arms 112 and113, respectively, i.e., the length from pivot axis P of the cleat A orB to the lateral corner abutments C_(R1) and C_(R2). The lever arm 112is shorter than the lever arm 113. The lateral corner abutment C_(R1) isspaced a shorter distance from the center line CL of the cleat A or Bthan the lateral corner abutment C_(R2) from the center line CL of thecleat A or B. Thus, when the lateral corner abutment C_(R1) engages therear stop surface 75 of the rear clamping member 25 upon the applicationof an outward twisting force, the cleat A or B easier to pivot to therelease position than the lateral corner abutment C_(R2) engages therear stop surface 75 of the rear clamping member 25.

One preferred assembly operation of the bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 bwill now be discussed. The bicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b are assembled byinitially installing the front and rear clamping members 23 and 25 tothe bicycle pedal body 22 by the pivot pins 24. This is done bypositioning the front and rear clamping members 23 and 25 between theside mounting portions 42 and 43. Next, the four pedal body covers 30are mounted in the cover receiving recesses 45. Thus, first and secondattachment legs 91 and 92 of the four pedal body covers 30 have theirattachment holes 93 and 94 arranged for receiving the pivot pins 24therethrough. Now, the biasing members 28 are held in place between thefront and rear clamping members 23 and 25. The pivot pins 24 are nowinstalled in the pedal body 22 such that the front and rear clampingmembers 23 and 25, the biasing members 28 and the pedal body covers 30are mounted on the pivot pins 24. Thus, the pedal body covers 30 arefixedly coupled to the pedal body 22 by the pivot pins 24, while thefront and rear clamping members 23 and 25 are pivotally coupled to thepedal body 22 by the pivot pins 24. In this state the biasing members 28are not in their fully preloaded state. Thus, the springs of the biasingmembers 28 are now wound about the pivot pins 24 and the spring holders26 are insert into openings of the rear clamping members 25 to properlypreload the biasing members 28, which urge the front and rear clampingmembers 23 and 25 to their rest positions. This arrangement allows thebiasing members 28 to be initially installed in an unloaded state foreasy assembly. In other words, the front and rear clamping members 23and 25 and the biasing members 28 can be installed on the bicycle pedalbody 22 without having to preloaded the biasing members 28 under hightension.

Operation of the bicycle pedal 12 b will now be briefly described withreference mainly to FIGS. 39-40. Due to the unique construction of thebicycle pedals 12 a and 12 b, the rider can easily rotate the pedal 12 aor 12 b from a non-horizontal position as seen in FIGS. 39 and 40 to asubstantially horizontal position as seen FIGS. 41 and 42. When abicycle shoe is to be attached to one of the bicycle pedal 12 a, therider can rotate the pedal 12 a from the non-horizontal position shownin FIG. 39 to a substantially horizontal position as seen FIGS. 41 and42, by rotating the bicycle pedal 12 a in a counter clockwise direction.Because the front and rear clamping members 23 and 25 are configured andarranged to create long horizontal sides and short vertical ends andbecause the rear clamping members 25 are offset from the axis R, therider can easily rotate the pedal 12 a. Moreover, when the pedal 12 a isin the non-horizontal position shown in FIG. 40, the rider can easilyrotate the pedal 12 a in either direction.

Once the pedal 12 a is in a substantially horizontal position as seenFIGS. 41 and 42, the rider moves the tip of the shoe forward towards oneof the front clamping members 23 so that the tip of the cleat A or B isinserted underneath one of the front clamping members 23. Once the tipof the cleats A and B has been inserted underneath one of the frontclamping members 23, a downwardly directed force is applied by the shoe,such that the shoe is pushed down toward the bicycle pedal body 22. Whenthe shoe is pressed down further from this state shown in FIGS. 41 and42, the rear end of the cleat A or B rotates one of the rear clampingmembers 25 backward against the biasing force of one of the biasingmembers 28. Simultaneously, the front end of the cleat A or B rotatesthe front clamping member 25 forward against the biasing force of theother one of the biasing members 28. The cleat A or B then slidesbetween the front and rear clamping member 23 and 25. Once the cleat Aor B has slid between the front and rear clamping member 23 and 25, thefront and rear clamping member 23 and 25 are biased by the biasingmembers 28 back to their original positions. As a result, the cleat A orB is engaged between the front and rear clamping member 23 and 25 (seeFIG. 2).

When the shoe is to be removed from the bicycle pedal 12 a or 12 b, theheel portion of the shoe is lightly twisted to the outside about thepivot axis P. This twisting motion will cause the front and rearclamping member 23 and 25 to rotate against the energizing forces of thebiasing members 28, and the engagement of the rear end of the cleat A orB will be released instantly. Depending on which of the cleats A and Bare used with which pedal will determine the release force F1 or F2 thatis necessary to rotate the cleats A and B to their release positions.

As used herein, the following directional terms “forward, rearward,above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below and transverse” as well asany other similar directional terms refer to those directions of abicycle equipped with a pedal of the present invention and when thepedal is horizontally oriented relative to the ground. Accordingly,these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should beinterpreted relative to a bicycle equipped with a pedal of the presentinvention.

The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately”as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modifiedterm such that the end result is not significantly changed. These termsshould be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5-10% of themodified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the wordit modifies.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of theembodiments according to the present invention are provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A bicycle shoe cleat comprising: an attachment portion having a frontend, a rear end, an upper sole side facing in a first direction and alower pedal side facing in a second direction which is substantiallyopposite to the first direction; a front coupling portion extending fromthe front end, the front coupling portion having a front couplingsurface facing in the first direction and a front stop surface facing ina forward direction; and a rear coupling portion extending from the rearend, the rear coupling portion having a rear coupling surface facing inthe first direction and a rear stop surface facing in a rearwarddirection with a low force rear corner abutment formed at one lateralend of the rear stop surface and a high force rear corner abutmentformed at the other lateral end of the rear stop surface, the front andrear coupling portions being configured to define a pivot axis of thecleat with the high force rear corner abutment being spaced farther froma centerline of the cleat that includes the pivot axis of the cleat thanthe low force rear corner abutment.
 2. The bicycle shoe cleat accordingto claim 1, wherein the rear stop surface includes a pair of lateralrear stop surfaces that are angled forwardly relative to the centerlineof the cleat as the lateral rear stop surfaces extend outwardly from thecenterline of the cleat.
 3. The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 1,wherein the front stop surface includes a pair of lateral front stopsurfaces that are angled forwardly relative to the centerline of thecleat as the lateral front stop surfaces extend outwardly from thecenterline of the cleat.
 4. The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 1,wherein the rear stop surface includes a pair of lateral rear stopsurfaces that are angled forwardly relative to the centerline of thecleat as the lateral rear stop surfaces extend outwardly from thecenterline of the cleat.
 5. The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 1,wherein the front coupling portion includes a low force front cornerabutment formed at one lateral end of the front stop surface and a highforce front corner abutment formed at the other lateral end of the frontstop surface located laterally of the front coupling surface, the lowforce front corner abutment being diagonally arranged relative to thelow force rear corner abutment and the high force front corner abutmentbeing diagonally arranged relative to the high force rear cornerabutment.
 6. The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 5, wherein thehigh force front corner abutment is spaced farther from the centerlineof the cleat than the low force front corner abutment.
 7. The bicycleshoe cleat according to claim 5, wherein the pivot axis of the cleat isdefined by the intersection of a first diagonal line extending throughthe low force front corner abutment and the low force rear cornerabutment and a second diagonal line extending through the high forcefront corner abutment and the high force rear corner abutment.
 8. Thebicycle shoe cleat according to claim 1, wherein the rear couplingportion includes a rear flange extending from the rear end of the cleatwith the rear flange being offset from the centerline of the cleattowards the high force rear corner abutment.
 9. The bicycle shoe cleataccording to claim 8, wherein the rear flange includes a rear edgehaving a first corner located between the centerline of the cleat andthe low force rear corner abutment, and a second corner located betweenthe centerline of the cleat and the high force rear corner abutment. 10.The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 9, wherein the second corneris spaced farther from the centerline of the cleat than the firstcorner.
 11. The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 9, wherein thefront coupling portion includes a low force front corner abutment formedat one lateral end of the front stop surface and a high force frontcorner abutment formed at the other lateral end of the front stopsurface located laterally of the front coupling surface, the low forcefront corner abutment being diagonally arranged relative to the lowforce rear corner abutment and the high force front corner abutmentbeing diagonally arranged relative to the high force rear cornerabutment.
 12. The bicycle shoe cleat according to claim 11, wherein thehigh force front corner abutment is spaced farther from the centerlineof the cleat than the low force front corner abutment.
 13. The bicycleshoe cleat according to claim 11, wherein the pivot axis of the cleat isdefined by the intersection of a first diagonal line extending throughthe low force front corner abutment and the low force rear cornerabutment and a second diagonal line extending through the high forcefront corner abutment and the high force rear corner abutment.